VMNH receives gift for school group scholarships

November 16, 2015

The Virginia Museum of Natural has received a $2,500 gift from the Marjorie Sutton Memorial Foundation to support school group visits to the museum and bring museum education programs inside the classrooms of Martinsville and Henry County public schools.

“We are thrilled with this generous gift and the continued support of the Marjorie Sutton Memorial Foundation,” said Dr. Denny Casey, director of education and public programs at VMNH. “The museum offers a world of wonder for students when they visit and our outreach education programming brings many of these wonders straight into the classroom. This gift will go a long way in ensuring that our local students have the opportunity to enjoy and learn from what the museum has to offer.”

Offered as scholarships, the funding will allow teachers in Martinsville and Henry County public schools to bring their students to the museum to experience its innovative, award-winning exhibit galleries and take advantage of a specially designed learning program provided by museum educators. Additionally, the funding will allow teachers to choose to have museum educators visit their classrooms as part of the museum’s outreach educational programming.

“Teachers in Martinsville and Henry County have a unique resource right in their own backyard here at the museum,” said Casey. “Not only is the museum an exciting field trip destination, but we can also provide education programming that takes classroom learning to a whole other level. You can read about dinosaurs, but to actually be able to touch real dinosaur fossils and casts gives students an experience that is unmatched. Gifts, such as this, make sure our local students have the opportunity to experience what the museum has to offer.”

The museum offers standards-based programs in a variety of disciplines, including physical sciences, life sciences, earth sciences, history and social sciences. In addition to dozens of pre-developed programs, the museum also develops programming upon teacher request.

Teachers interested in taking advantage of this scholarship opportunity should contact the museum at discover@vmnh.virginia.gov or 276-634-4185 for more information. The scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis.